Crusader's future sparks public affairs furor on Hill

May 27, 2002
by DOUGLAS QUENQUA

WASHINGTON: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the White
House no longer want the $11 billion Crusader artillery system,
but its manufacturers are waging a public affairs war to make them take
it.

WASHINGTON: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the White
House no longer want the $11 billion Crusader artillery system,
but its manufacturers are waging a public affairs war to make them take
it.

The Crusader is a 40-ton mobile cannon designed for open-field
warfare.

Supporters say it can save soldiers' lives by hitting approaching armies
before they are within striking distance of US forces. Critics accuse it
of being a Cold War relic (though it was originally ordered after the
Gulf War), offering little advantage in modern warfare.

"The world has stood by in some amazement at the effectiveness of
precision munitions in Afghanistan,

Rumsfeld wrote in an op-ed piece in
The Washington Post. "We believe we must give preference to capabilities
such as increased accuracy, more rapid deployability, and 'networked'
combat."

But while the White House stands firmly behind Rumsfeld's decision to
cancel the weapon, Army secretary Thomas White has made it clear he does
not, as have several members of Congress, particularly those
representing Oklahoma, where the weapon was to be built.

United Defense International, the defense contractor responsible for the
Crusader, has allied with its subcontractors, which include Honeywell
and General Dynamics, to form the Crusader Industrial Alliance.
Together, these companies are attempting to circumvent Rumsfeld's wishes
by getting Congress to legislate for the weapon's completion.

The alliance is waging an education campaign on the Hill to "make sure
the misinformation about the Crusader is addressed,

explained United
Defense VP of communications Doug Coffey. Accusations that the weapon is
too heavy or cannot be deployed quickly are among the myths he
cited.

Powell Tate, which has a longstanding relationship with United Defense,
has been retained by the alliance to provide public affairs support. The
Weber Shandwick Worldwide-owned shop is placing op-eds, compiling press
kits, and providing strategic counsel, according to Coffey.

Also briefly working for the alliance was Barbour Griffith & Rogers
(BG&R), the lobbying firm of former Republican National Committee
chairman Haley Barbour. However, the relationship was short-lived.

"They were working for us for one day,

said Coffey, "then they came
back and said they had a conflict and had to withdraw."

That conflict was with the White House itself, which reportedly called
BG&R and expressed dissatisfaction over its involvement with the
alliance.

Crusader proponents have thus far scored two major victories in keeping
the weapon alive. Earlier this month, the House passed a nonbinding
resolution instructing the Pentagon not to kill the weapon before
studying alternatives.

It also passed a 2003 defense authorization bill that included $475 million for completion of the Crusader.